Probably the most well known venue for jazz in Havana, the ‘Fox & Crow’ offers an intimate environment in this basement venue notably marked by a red English telephone box at its entrance. Top jazz players perform here on a nightly basis. More Ronnie Scotts than Pizza Express, don’t expect to chat too much without getting frowned at which is pretty unusual in Cuba where conversation generally trumps all. Dark, cramped, low ceilings and an absolute firetrap this has much more atmosphere of the gritty kind than the Jazz Café, which seems too pretty and sterile by comparison.

Our only real grumble is that it starts so late I have generally turned into a pumpkin by the time the main band comes out to play.

Located in a sleepy residential neighbourhood of Vedado in a two storey colonial house, Starbien has an update and modern feel, which seems a little out of sync with the neighbourhood. Upstairs there …

Opened in May 2013, the hot staff, comfortable setting, and welcoming vibe at this, Havana’s first full-time, openly-gay bar, make for a fun night out, regardless of orientation. There’s plenty of sea …

El Cocinero opened in February 2013 and has instantly become a smash hit. Located underneath the imposing brick chimney of the same name (which used to be a vegetable oil factory), this bar/restaurant …

The basement bar at La Fontana used to offer a comfortable (albeit invariably smoky) place to drink the night away. In early 2012 ago this bar was closed and a major renovation undertaken, which has r …

The Teatro Bertolt Brecht has a number of attractions including No Se Lo Digas a Nadie (Don’t tell anyone!) nights which features some of the best contemporary Cuban musicians in an MTV’s unplugged sc …

Little is given away by the regular entrance, but as soon as you walk into the restaurant you get an idea why this took Mr Miglis over a year to renovate this building to fit his dream of opening Cuba …

This was once known as the legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up in the 40s. It is still a big part of the live music scene today for large concerts, parties and other special events, which b …